James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Coast Pocket Pliers Multitool Knife, Black C5799 | LED Flashlight Tool Set & Easy Rubber Grip
1 min read
The best (or worst) thing about a multi-tool like the Coast C5799 LED Pocket Pliers is always the pliers. If it includes a pair of pliers that works — the rest is gravy. Coast provides a good but lightweight pair in the C5799. With average strength and leverage, there are still enough other special features in the C5799 to set it slightly apart from the herd.
The basic framework and tool set is made from high carbon 440C stainless steel still used in many common folding knives. Adding rubberized coating to the folding handles helps the grip and gives the tool a more professional look. Folding to only four inches, the tool in its pouch will ride on the belt and out of the way or be a convenient addition to pack or purse. That four inches is a little short if you hope to work on nuts and bolts with the C5799 — something we all know we shouldn’t do with a pair of pliers, but do anyway. Sometimes it’s a choice of fixing the car with the wrong tools or walking home. You’ll be better off dealing with electrical problems with the Coast LED since the needle-nose jaws and wire cutters are built for that.
The rest of the tactical black tool set includes several sizes of flathead screwdriver blades, a Phillips bit, a saw blade long enough to actually work, scissors, knife, file, wire stripper, and both can and bottle openers. The deal-maker will be the built-in LED trouble light, which runs off two small CR1220 batteries and makes using the tool in the dark an easy trick. Many of those three-handed situations will be immediately cut down to two-handed problems you can actually solve.
For a multi-tool designed for students and others who need occasional pocket help but aren’t allowed to carry knives, see the Leatherman Fuse — all tools and no cutting edge.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
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The best (or worst) thing about a multi-tool like the Coast C5799 LED Pocket Pliers is always the pliers. If it includes a pair of pliers that works — the rest is gravy. Coast provides a good but lightweight pair in the C5799. With average strength and leverage, there are still enough other special features in the C5799 to set it slightly apart from the herd.
